It is known to store agricultural products such as silage and the like in the field in large plastic bags referred to as agricultural bags. Such bags are generally designed to be filled from one end and may have a diameter in excess of ten feet and a length of up to 100 feet or more.
Machines have been developed to load silage and other agricultural products into such agricultural bags. A known conventional agricultural bag loading apparatus includes a housing with a rotating shaft mounted therein. The shaft has a plurality of teeth extending outwardly therefrom which are arranged in a generally even, albeit random pattern over the surface of the shaft. As the shaft rotates, the teeth force silage into an agricultural bag which has been secured adjacent to the loading apparatus. As silage is loaded into the bag, the loading apparatus moves away from the filled end of the bag in a controlled manner.
The known loading apparatus includes an output chamber or tunnel of relatively substantial volume. This tunnel is necessary in order to insure uniform distribution of the silage when loaded into the bag. It also forms a structure on which to store the unfilled bag portion and permit uniform and trouble free deployment of the bag when loading.
Although the known agricultural bag loading apparatus having such a tunnel has performed adequately, difficulties have been encountered in the operation of such apparatus. After filling and sealing one of the agricultural bags, this tunnel is still completely filled with compressed silage. This trapped silage can often be of substantial quantity, at times exceeding three tons.
In addition, the trapped material may fall out the end of the tunnel at an undesirable point in time. For instance, it could fall out during transportation on a public highway.